As the recording medium provided with many recording layers, for example, there is known a recording medium having a plurality of recording layers, each of which is actually a target for at least one of a recording operation and a reproduction operation, and a guide layer on which a guide track or guide tracks for tracking are formed (e.g. a so-called guide layer separation type optical disc) (refer to Patent document 1). A recording/reproducing apparatus for performing at least one of the recording operation and the reproduction operation on such a recording medium irradiates guide laser light and recording/reproduction laser light. The guide laser light is light for reading the guide track(s) in the guide layer. The recording/reproduction laser light is light for performing at least one of the recording operation and the reproduction operation on the recording layer. The recording/reproducing apparatus performs at least one of the recording operation and the reproduction operation by irradiating the recording layer with the recording/reproduction laser light while performing tracking control on the basis of a push-pull signal obtained from return light of the guide laser light.
Incidentally, Patent document 2 to Patent document 11 can be listed as background art documents related to the present invention described later, although they do not disclose the guide layer separation type optical disc.    Patent document 1: Japanese Patent No. 4037034    Patent document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. Hei 10-308037    Patent document 3: Japanese Patent No. 3729467    Patent document 4: Japanese Patent No. 3665588    Patent document 5: Japanese Patent No. 3744944    Patent document 6: Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 2003-323725    Patent document 7: Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 2004-178781    Patent document 8: Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. Hei 8-279160    Patent document 9: Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. Hei 8-45080    Patent document 10: Japanese Patent No. 3205154    Patent document 11: Japanese Patent No. 3693813